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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187814">New beginnings and second chances</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MDnata/pseuds/MDnata'>MDnata</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Castiel (Supernatural), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Humor, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:46:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,535</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MDnata/pseuds/MDnata</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean wasn’t panicking per se, but having seen a one very morose looking Castiel disappear in a flash of white light and swap places with some random human infant was uncanny to say the least.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel &amp; John Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester &amp; John Winchester, Dean Winchester &amp; Sam Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>New beginnings and second chances</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just something I've been thinking for a while. Blame it on YouTube.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>
In the end, Michael and Adam were the key to God’s eventual defeat. Michael had the knowledge needed and the mojo to bring back his fallen siblings, the archangels.<br/>
<br/>
All of them.<br/>
<br/>
Dean had been sceptical about that, Sam even more so when he realized Lucifer would be returning too. He’d outright told Michael – or possibly Adam, it was sometimes hard to tell which was which and when – that he’d off the angel himself the minute he saw him even if he’d have to die (once again) to do it.<br/>
<br/>
The archangel had been polite enough not to laugh.<br/>
<br/>
“He’s mocking me, isn’t he?” Sam had asked Castiel when the oldest being in the room had turned his attention elsewhere. “He’s laughing his ass off up there in his head, isn’t he?”<br/>
<br/>
“Adam certainly is”, had been the answer given. Dry as a desert.<br/>
<br/>
Sam had been furious.<br/>
<br/>
Bringing back the archangels was only a means to an end though, not the solution itself. Sure, Michael loved all three of his brothers dearly but more than anything, he needed their powers to do what needed to be done. Which apparently was to bring back right about everyone the Winchesters had ever killed (demons not included, Michael was pretty sure Chuck would do that on his own).<br/>
<br/>
Yeah.<br/>
<br/>
At that point Dean had really joined his brother in his newly founded if-there’s-nothing-else-to-be-done-I’m-at-least-going-to-sulk-about-this-club. The one good thing about those dicks with wings being gone was that they were <em>gone</em>.<br/>
<br/>
Only later was Gabriel kind enough to inform them that the humans would be returned too, at least the ones that were willing. And of those the ones that would actually be of use in the final battle. Mainly the hunters, that is.<br/>
<br/>
Before the brothers had time to pack theirs packs and run to the hills the bunker was full of long-lost relatives and dearly missed friends, some of them even came doubled. Having dinner with John and Mary again was one thing, but add to that Ellen, Jo, Eileen, two Bobbies (one of them in love with Mary) and two Charlies and you really had a doomsday dinner to end your lifetime with.<br/>
<br/>
Castiel had never been so happy to be full powered angel again and <em>not having to eat</em>. Dean wasn’t nearly as glad about the return of his best friend’s wings.<br/>
<br/>
Not only did Castiel manage to dodge the bullet called family dinner he was also capable of fluttering around the world whenever he fancied making Dean feel a bit of that thing some people liked to call insecurity but he himself referred to as being cautiously worried. Castiel had a tendency to find trouble when off on his own and now they had no way to trace his comings and goings anymore.<br/>
<br/>
In hindsight he should really have appreciated his blessings.<br/>
<br/>
All things considered; the final battle couldn’t have gone better. God was put to sleep (his existence was, after all, still needed) and the gates of Heaven and Hell were closed for good, no trials needed.<br/>
<br/>
The thing is, the angels had to go too.<br/>
<br/>
The world was to be left to men and other earth born things, like it was meant to be. The angels, they were only ever just visitors anyway.<br/>
<br/>
That though, didn’t really explain the baby in Dean’s shaking arms. The baby with striking blue eyes and a tuft of black hair covering his tiny little forehead.<br/>
<br/>
“What the hell happened?”<br/>
<br/>
Dean wasn’t panicking per se, but having seen a one very morose looking Castiel disappear in a flash of white light and swap places with some random human infant was uncanny to say the least.<br/>
<br/>
“What did you <em>do</em>?” Sam demanded, looking at Michael with an incredulous stare.<br/>
<br/>
Michael shrugged. “I just gave him a human body.”<br/>
<br/>
“Him? You mean that’s Cas?”<br/>
<br/>
The sound that left Dean’s mouth at that was meant to be a spout of laugher or at least something very akin to it but to even his own ears, it sounded more like badly made whoopie cushion.<br/>
<br/>
“Of course, it’s Cas! Have you ever seen a normal baby frown like <em>this</em>?” He held the infant up, shaking his hands.  And the baby in them.<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly there was a small, somewhat alarmed herd of adults around them.<br/>
<br/>
“Would you calm down”, Dean barked at them, securing his hold on the former angel. “I’m not going to drop him. Jeez.”<br/>
<br/>
“Huh. This is indeed little Cassie”, Gabriel said over Dean’s shoulder. “Interesting.”<br/>
<br/>
Dean didn’t have to see his face to know that the bastard was smirking.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, very, can you make him normal now?”<br/>
<br/>
Gabriel hummed with badly faked consideration and said: “Sorry, doll face, no dice. Wouldn’t if I could. Don’t have that kind of power, though.”<br/>
<br/>
Dean grunted, squeezed between his parents and Ellen and marched towards Michael, who was scrutinizing his neater than neat nails. The very essence of boredom on display here, ladies and gentlemen.<br/>
<br/>
“Make him normal again”, he begged. “Please, he’s a frigging baby, I can’t- “<br/>
<br/>
“A human baby, Dean”, Michael sighed. “And what do human babies do? They grow up.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, yes, they grow up. It’ll only take him, what, <em>twenty years</em>? We’ll be in the ground by then!”<br/>
<br/>
Sam was about to say something, but the archangel beat him to it.<br/>
<br/>
“Would you prefer him as an angel? He couldn't have stayed, you know, so I gave him a choise. It was either this or Heaven. Besides, <em>I</em> made him that body.  It’ll take him a year or so to reach adulthood, <em>maybe</em>  a bit longer.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh.”<br/>
<br/>
Michael rolled his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes. Oh, indeed. Give him a year and his as good as new. For a human.  If you can manage to keep him alive, that is.” He looked at his former sibling, unreadable expression on his face. “He is, after all, a human infant now. I’m led to understand they’re quite fragile. Someone’s going to have to become his caretaker.”<br/>
<br/>
Dean looked at the baby in his arms. It <em>was</em> Castiel. Alive and well and human and a goddam frigging baby. Castiel had been protecting him and his brother for over a decade now. It was time he returned the favour.<br/>
<br/>
“Let me do it.”<br/>
<br/>
Dean and Sam looked at each other, in amazement, and then turned to look at their father, the one who’d actually spoken the words.<br/>
<br/>
“John?” Mary said, voice quiet and questioning. Dean wasn’t really sure what was going on with them anymore, what <em>had</em> been going on with them with Bobby there and all. Not to mention the lifetime lived apart (on John’s part).<br/>
<br/>
He knew they loved each other to death and would continue sharing their Heaven in the end, but what John had just said, he’d only spoken for himself. He had not included Mary in his plans.<br/>
<br/>
“Um, dad?” Sam sounded unsure, like there was something he wanted to point out but didn’t dare to.<br/>
<br/>
Their father, though, was anything but a fool.<br/>
<br/>
“I know what you’re thinking”, he said, calmly. “What you’re all thinking. And you’re absolutely right. A failed as a father. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the way I raised you, the way I treated you, and I can never take that back.”<br/>
<br/>
“Dad, really, it’s okay”, Dean started but was quickly cut off when John raised his hand and gave him a firm look.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s not and you know that. At the time it was the only way I could think of to keep you alive but things are different now. From what I understand, you’re all hunters here, it’s in your blood.” He looked at Mary, who shuddered under his warm gaze, and smiled. “I for one, am not going to hunt anymore.”<br/>
<br/>
This was clearly something their parents had talked about beforehand, but for Dean and Sam this was new information.<br/>
<br/>
“So, what? You’re gonna take on Cas now that you have free time?” Sam asked. “Were you thinking of staying in the bunker with him or are buying a house with a white fence and a flowerbed?”<br/>
<br/>
“Dude, tell us what you really think”, Dean muttered. Castiel was warm in his arms and looked way more attentive than a normal baby. Like he was aware of his surroundings and what they were talking about. Which he might just be.<br/>
<br/>
“If you could just give me a chance”, John said, not rising to Sam’s apparent speculation. “I’ve only known him for a couple of months but I like him and do not go telling me you and Eileen are ready to start changing his diapers.”<br/>
<br/>
Eileen, who’d been following the conversation very closely, blushed and dropped her gaze to her feet, hiding her embarrassed smile from his self-declared father-in-law. Sam had seemingly forgotten what they were talking about. The red was slowly colouring his face, too.<br/>
<br/>
Dean, though, was looking at his ward with a bit more caution. He was, at the moment, wrapped in Dean’s own flannel shirt, and was in fact, going commando.<br/>
<br/>
“Okay, whatever we do or don’t do we need to get inside, now. And someone, please, go find a store and some frigging diapers!”<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Was watching Poirot while writing this. Bit of a weird combination.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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